AP-National

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Gnomes, those quirky statues that people put in their gardens, are flying off the shelves at Augusta National. The Masters golf-centric gnomes have been selling out within a couple of hours each morning after the tournament gift shop opens. Patrons are more than willing to

CERESCO, Neb. (AP) — A veteran Nebraska police officer was killed when his cruiser was struck by another vehicle after he made a traffic stop. The State Patrol says 54-year-old Ceresco Police Officer Ross Bartlett stopped a car on Highway 77 Friday evening. The State Patrol says the driver and officer were both seated in

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A small earthquake has shaken the Southern California desert near where the Coachella music festival is being held this weekend. No damage or injuries were reported in Saturday’s quake. The U.S. Geological Survey says it had a preliminary magnitude of 3.8 and hit at 9:08 a.m. about 20 miles southeast of

CUSTER, S.D. (AP) — Authorities said they’re investigating a case of domestic violence that ended with a man dead and a woman injured in South Dakota, and the suspect fleeing through Wyoming before killing himself in Colorado. Custer County deputies responded to a report of a homicide around 9:45 p.m. Friday at a home near

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal authorities are asking for the public’s help in tracking down two men seen damaging rock formations at a national recreation site in Nevada. Officials at Lake Mead National Recreation Area say the damage happened during a recent weekend near the Redstone Dune Trail on the north side of the lake.

By ZEKE MILLER and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden lauded American forces who helped Israel down “nearly all” of the drones and missiles fired by Iran and vowed to coordinate a global response to Tehran’s unprecedented attack. The Pentagon said U.S. forces intercepted “dozens of missiles” and drones launched

By PAT EATON-ROBB and DAVE COLLINS Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Thousands of fans lined the streets of Hartford, Connecticut, to celebrate the UConn men’s basketball team following its second-straight NCAA championship and sixth in the last 25 years. Saturday’s parade featured the players and coaches riding on a double-decker bus and lifting the

READING, Pa. (AP) — Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, according to funeral home officials. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died April 7 at the Hospital

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The executor of O.J. Simpson’s estate says he will work to prevent a payout of a $33.5 million judgment stemming from a wrongful death lawsuit filed years ago by the families of Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Simpson’s will was filed Friday in a Clark County

HELSINKI (AP) — The head of Latvia’s government has tapped an experienced diplomat to become the Baltic nation’s new foreign minister after the current post holder stepped down earlier this week amid a criminal probe over alleged misuse of government funds. The Latvian news agency LETA says the ruling center-right New Unity party decided to

By MALLIKA SEN AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The story of O.J. Simpson’s life was inherently cinematic. What started as fodder for a triumphant sports biopic abruptly became something much darker and complex as Simpson slid from fame to infamy following the killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. It’s little wonder

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — For decades, only three people knew Gloria Johnson had had an abortion. But a year of watching women and doctors agonize under Tennessee’s strict abortion ban kicked up a fire in the longtime Democrat. She watched in dismay as her Republican colleagues in

MICHIGAMME TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a Michigan man and his dog have been rescued from the icy waters of an inland lake in the state’s Upper Peninsula. The Marquette County Sheriff’s Office says 56-year-old Thad Cooper, of Michigamme Township, was searching for his dog Friday afternoon when he saw its head poking above

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — The Holy See has formally protested to France after a court there ruled that a former high-ranking Vatican official was liable for what the court determined to be the wrongful dismissal of a nun from a religious order. In a statement Saturday, the Vatican said it had

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — No woman has appeared more often before the Supreme Court than Lisa Blatt, who will make her 50th argument this month. No lawyer, male or female, has done it with quite the same mix of humor, passion and style. And her win-loss record isn’t bad, either: 40-6,

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A North Atlantic right whale has been spotted entangled in rope off New England, worsening an already devastating year for the vanishing animals, federal authorities said. The right whales number less than 360 and are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with ships. The

By NASSER NASSER and JACK JEFFERY Associated Press Al-MUGHAYYIR, West Bank (AP) — Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank went on the largest rampage against Palestinians there since the war in Gaza began, as Israel’s army said Saturday the body of a missing Israeli teen was found after he was killed in a “terrorist

By PETER SMITH Associated Press The United Methodist Church lost one-fourth of its U.S. churches in a recent schism, with conservatives departing over disputes on sexuality and theology. Now, with the approach of its first major legislative gathering in several years, the question is whether the church can avert a similar outcome elsewhere in the

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media reports a top ranking official has reaffirmed ties with North Korea during a meeting with the country’s leader Kim Jong Un in the capital Pyongyang. The visit by Zhao Leji, who ranks third in the ruling Communist Party hierarchy and heads the ceremonial parliament, comes as tensions are again

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer The first drug shown to slow Alzheimer’s disease hit the U.S. market over a year ago, but sales have lagged, major hospital systems have taken months to start using it and some insurers have rejected coverage. Doctors also expect some patients will hesitate to take Leqembi due to its